Education for all - ChildFund Australia

Australia

Education for all: Bridging the knowledge gap in Myanmar A report by Jo Chandler for ChildFund Australia May 2017

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ChildFund Australia

Education for all: Bridging the knowledge gap in Myanmar

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Contents

About the Author Jo Chandler

Foreword........................................................................................01

Jo Chandler is an award-winning Australian journalist, author and editor, as well as an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University’s Contemporary Histories Research Group. She has filed news and features from assignments across sub-Saharan Africa, Papua New Guinea, rural and remote Australia, Antarctica and Afghanistan. Jo has earned distinction as an essayist, profile writer and narrative journalist, and is recognised for her work across a range of specialty areas: science; the environment; health; human rights; women’s and children’s issues; aid and development. In addition to a Walkley Award, Australia’s most prestigious journalism prize, Jo has received a range of other accolades for her work as an investigative journalist, including the Melbourne Press Club Quill for Best Feature, the George Munster Prize for Independent Journalism, the University of New South Wales Bragg Prize for Science Journalism, the Australian Council for International Development Media Prize, and the United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award.

Executive Summary......................................................................02

About ChildFund Australia ChildFund Australia is an independent and non-religious international development organisation that works to reduce poverty for children in the developing world. ChildFund works in partnership with children and their communities to create lasting change by supporting long-term community development, responding to humanitarian emergencies and promoting children’s rights. ChildFund Australia’s aspiration is for every child to be able to say: “I am safe. I am educated. I am heard. I have a future.” ChildFund Australia implements programs with a range of local partners in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam, and manages projects delivered by partner organisations throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas. ChildFund's work is funded through child and community sponsorship, government grants as well as donations from individuals, trusts, foundations, and corporate organisations. ChildFund Australia is a member of the ChildFund Alliance – a global network of 11 organisations which assists more than 14 million children and families in 63 countries. ChildFund Australia is a registered charity, a member of the Australian Council for International Development, and fully accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which manages the Australian Government’s overseas aid program. © ChildFund Australia, May 2017

A history of learning and education...........................................05 The challenges to providing universal education.....................07 Poverty: a major obstacle to school access...............................................07 Retention: the need for quality learning................................................... 11

A national strategy for education reform ..................................13 Unlocking the potential of Myanmar’s youth............................ 17 References.....................................................................................................23

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Foreword

Nigel Spence CEO, ChildFund Australia

Executive Summary Myanmar is undergoing unprecedented and rapid change. For half a century it was hidden from the world by a closed military regime. Suddenly, it was thrust into international consciousness by the winds of political change and, in 2008, by the devastation of Cyclone Nargis.

"We need basic education in Burma, the kind of education that will enable our people to earn a decent living for themselves."

Myanmar1 was once Asia’s rice bowl, exporting two million tonnes of rice a year. In the late 19th century, millions of hectares of forests along the fertile Irrawaddy Delta were cleared for paddy fields, and the country became one of Asia’s wealthiest nations.

The nation’s long years of isolation and economic stagnation have taken a terrible toll on its people, particularly in terms of their education and health. It is a country facing enormous challenges, the complexities of many languages, ethnic diversity, and the aftermath of decades of civil conflict which have resulted in large-scale displacement and insecurity.

— Aung San Suu Kyi, National League for Democracy leader, addressing the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Bangkok, 2012

Thant Myint-U2, a scholar and Cambridge University historian, is descended from a family which benefited from this boom time in Myanmar’s history. His great grandfather went to university in India and returned to grow the thriving family business. U Thant, one of his sons and Thant Myint-U’s father, was educated at the prestigious Rangoon University in an era when the country's education system was the envy of the region, later serving as the third Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Myanmar also has huge, if currently latent, potential. In terms of natural resources, the country has the highest natural gas reserves in the world and enormous potential for hydropower. It has the makings of a tourism hotspot, but only has around one million tourists a year (2012) compared to 22 million in neighbouring Thailand. But perhaps its human capital is the country’s most significant asset. Unlike many developed nations, including Australia, which are battling with the challenges presented by an ageing population, Myanmar has a highly youthful demographic. Twelve million boys and girls aged 5-17 account for 27% of the population. Yet without a skilled and educated 21st century workforce, the fledgling democracy will be hamstrung in its efforts to improve the living standards of what is currently one of the poorest nations in Asia.

Myanmar’s long years of isolation and economic stagnation have taken a terrible toll on its people.

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Fortunately, the Myanmar Government has begun the task of rebuilding crucial social systems. Education has been prioritised, and this year the country’s first ever National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) was launched, with a five-year road map to developing an inclusive and high quality education system. This report explores the complexities of the task now facing educators, policymakers, bureaucrats, donors, civil society and international organisations like ChildFund in pursuing the shared ambition to deliver to every child the education that is their right. This is not merely a question of money – though that is crucial. Education is entwined in issues of politics, history, identity, culture and economy, and on all these fronts Myanmar – or Burma as it was for so much of its story – has a dynamic and, to the outsider, confounding heritage. This must be respected and embraced. As ChildFund Australia Board member and veteran development expert Richard Moore observes in this report, there is an opportunity for donors and aid agencies to apply hard-earned lessons as they venture into Myanmar. One of those is to engage deeply, and with humility, with local people and organisations who are working passionately for their own children. At ChildFund, this is at the core of our mission.

But then came the Great Depression, and resulting crash in the rice price. World War II followed and destroyed what was left of Myanmar’s economy. In 1948, Burma gained independence from Britain, but was beset by internal conflicts. Thant Myint-U explains: “With independence would come more war, between the new Burmese army and the Communist militia, as well as against an array of ethnic minority rebels.”3 In 1962, a military coup installed a socialist regime, and Burma vanished from the world for decades. “To the extent that it was thought about at all, it had the image of an exotic and dreamy backwater, a gentle Buddhist country, lost in time and quietly isolated.”4 But the reality was a population impoverished by isolation and riven by ethnic conflicts. Fighting continued, on and off, for over 60 years, characterised by some observers as the world’s longest-running civil war.5 By 1988, worsening economic conditions sparked student protests and a nationwide anti-government uprising.6 The consequence was another military coup: a bloody crackdown, martial law, the shutdown of universities, and the installation of a new junta. But momentum for change would ultimately force a shift in the political gears and a loosening of the junta’s grip on power. This culminated in a return to civilian rule in 2011 and, in November 2015, the elections which delivered a sweeping victory to Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League of Democracy. In the 30 years since the 1988 uprising, the changes ushered in have seen education, life expectancy and household incomes climb and then stall, hobbled by broken public systems. In 2003, Thant Myint-U returned to his family’s home town of Pantanaw and found it “much like I imagine it in the early years of the last century, with little wooden houses and shops, children playing everywhere and dirt roads lined with tamarind trees and bougainvillea”.

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It’s a charming picture, and testimony to the fortitude of Myanmar’s people, but also illustrates the inertia that undid the promise of a nation once viewed as having the brightest prospects in the region.7 The 2016 UN Human Development Index8 ranks Myanmar at 145 of 188, bumping it up into the medium-ranked cohort, but progress has slowed in the past five years9, and it lags behind those in its neighbourhood: Bangladesh (139), Laos (138), India (131), China (90), Thailand (87) and nearby Cambodia (143) and Vietnam (115). Average annual expenditure on education under the military regime was just 1.3% of the national budget.10 Schools continued to be built, but teacher training, teacher pay and classroom resources deteriorated markedly.11 The consequences underwrite a grim report card: • Nationally, one in four children (25.3%) in Myanmar do not complete primary school.12 In poor communities, the dropout rate is even higher. • The average adult has completed only 4.7 years of schooling, a similar result to Cambodia, but less than Laos and Bangladesh (both 5.2 years), India (6.3) China (7.6), Thailand (7.9) and Vietnam (8.0).13 • A recent survey of 15-49 year-olds found 13% of women and 12% of men had no education. Only 10% of women and 7% of men have gone beyond secondary school.14 • School attendance falls sharply from age 10, with boys often dropping out faster than girls because they are able to sell their labour.15 • One in five children are working. Child labour and exploitation remains a pervasive concern.16


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On 2 May 2008, nature delivered another shattering change. Cyclone Nargis swept into southern Burma killing at least 140,000 people and bringing devastation to an estimated 2.4 million people in the Irrawaddy Delta and the capital Rangoon, now Yangon.17 This event – despite the initial refusal of the junta to allow entry to international crisis teams – prised open the country to foreign assistance and aid. Assisting the Myanmar Government with its sweeping education reforms has since become a key focus of outside advice and support. Over the past four years, Government funding for the education sector has increased four and a half times, rising from US$251.8m in 2012-13 to US$1.1bn in 2015-16.18 This accounts for 7% of national spending, but is still below the ASEAN average.19 The aim is to push Myanmar into the ranks of upper-middle-income nations by 2030. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, the nation’s first democratically elected leader in half a century, has identified education as a core of her government’s agenda. After five years of painstaking consultation and review, in February 2017 the government released its long-awaited blueprint for realising these ambitions – the National Education Strategic Plan 2016-21 (NESP)20 – which completely overhauls the national education system. This will extend the national curriculum, train more teachers and shift learning culture from rote learning to critical analysis.

Teacher training, salaries and classroom resources deteriorated markedly during Myanmar's years of military rule

Realising the right to education The task of rebuilding education in Myanmar is formidable. The most powerful and immediate factors undermining children's right to education are:

These challenges are compounded by other complex issues:

• The poor quality of education services: lack of qualified and experienced teachers; high pupil-teacher ratios; outdated didactic teaching methodologies; poorly structured and traditional curricula; lack of textbooks and educational resources; dilapidated and overcrowded classrooms.

• Ethnic identity: Myanmar is culturally diverse. Burmese (the language of the Bamar majority) is the language of governance and education. Some ethnic groups notably the Mon, Karen and Kachin - have developed community school systems and “mother tongue-based” teaching programs to serve their own communities, and ensure that their own history and languages are taught in the classroom. 21

• The costs of education: although fees are not officially levied, families pay in other ways. Underpaid teachers have long charged families for tuition. Fees are charged for school maintenance, admission, and uniforms. There are also significant indirect costs, such as household earnings foregone if a child is at school rather than working; or the costs of relocating a child from a rural area to a larger urban centre in order to access school.

• War and conflict: Insurgencies by ethnic minorities against the Myanmar military and other internal clashes have destabilised parts of the country for decades. Ongoing conflict between the army and the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and allies has created a severe humanitarian crisis in those regions. 22

• Poverty and child labour: extreme poverty for many families prevents children's access to education and impacts school retention. There is widespread acceptance of child labour in Myanmar, with many children from low income families leaving school early to supplement the household income.

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A history of learning and education “Study increases learning; learning increases knowledge; knowledge brings understanding; and understanding brings peace [of mind].” — From the Lokaniti ‘Guide to Life” by 14th century Burmese philosopher, Caturangabala

Modern Myanmar’s education system is a hybrid of the British colonial model, the socialist system that replaced it, the community and ethnic classrooms that have sprouted to meet local needs, and the ancient monastic teaching traditions that precede them all. For over 1,000 years, Buddhist monasteries have provided education, cultivating an engrained culture of learning, books and reading. Experts attribute much of the country’s high literacy rate, around 90%23, to the monastic tradition. Richard Moore, development expert and former deputy-director of AusAID, says: “It’s a culture that values learning - not necessarily the way we do. Educated people are revered and respected. Education is seen as an individual and a social good.” Professor Marie Lall, a South Asia education specialist, says that when Burma gained independence in 1948, the government sought to create a literate, educated population. However, after the 1962 coup d'etat schools were nationalised and standards began to fall. “Decades of underinvestment and civil strife have today resulted in the slow and steady decay of the state education system across the country. Despite the fact that during the socialist era school buildings continued to be built both in the cities and villages, teacher education and pay deteriorated markedly. It was also at this time that Burmese was made the medium for teaching at all schools.”24

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Monastic education There are around 1,600 monastic schools catering to about 300,000 students – equivalent to approximately 8% of the state school population – but growing rapidly. Monastic schools are in some ways similar to the Catholic education system in Australia. Principals are often members of religious orders, but few are found in classrooms. The schools are located close to a monastery, but operate separately from it. In recent years, schools have begun to receive some state support and teach the government’s national curriculum. While non-religious in the classroom, the Buddhist philosophy of wanting to do good for society encourages teachers to do their best for their students, says Karl Dorning, education advisor at the Monastic Education Development Group (MEDG). Monastic schools maintain a mission to reach the poorest children, usually at zero cost. In some regions, they have increased school enrolments by engaging local teachers to teach the government curriculum in the local, ethnic language.

The MEDG, run by a group of senior monks, provides teacher training and school management programs to monastic schools across the country. It now also offers out-of-school-hours programs for children who have dropped out of school. The MEDG aims to reach 72,000 children currently out of school and help them gain the equivalent of their primary school leaving certificate. The group’s most ambitious project is an e-learning pilot supported by an international telecommunications company, linking 40 schools through wireless networks. Dorning explains: “We have four studios in Mandalay where teachers can live-stream to remotely teach up to 40 classrooms. So where we have schools where teachers are not trained, or badly trained, we can support them with far better trained, qualified teachers through the studio.” There are also plans to use the technology for vocational training with adults. Dorning says: “In the longer term we can use this technology for teacher training and mentoring, or even for educating farmers in agricultural technology. It’s risky – there has been a lot written about how technology fails in education, but we are taking the time to do this properly, and the early indications seem to point in the direction of success.”

Today, the state education system is composed of 47,363 schools, employs 341,000 teachers, and reaches an estimated 9.26 million students. 25 In addition a significant percentage of students attend schools outside the government structure. These include: • Monastic schools: which today teach the government curriculum rather than religious texts. As The largest non-government provider of education, they play a critical role in educating the nation’s poorest children, and receive increasing support from international donors due to the strength of evolving programs and their access to the most disadvantaged populations. 26 • Community and ethnic schools: which are supported entirely by community funding. • Private schools: which were once removed under the regime, but are now fast reappearing, often catering to wealthier and expatriate communities.

Male novices residing at monastic schools continue to learn the government curriculum

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The challenges to providing universal education Poverty: a major obstacle to school access "I remember a girl in grade 7 who was doing really well. Her father suddenly died, her mother had two smaller children and was struggling financially. So she had to pull the older girl out of school to work as a domestic helper in a relative’s house." — Win May Htway, Country Director, ChildFund Myanmar

Despite the political and economic changes that have swept through the country in recent years, poverty continues to be a defining factor in children’s access to basic education. Even if that starts to turn around in coming years, the legacy will endure for at least a generation. Statistics spell out the story. Children from poorer families are likely to start school late, and then finish their education too early. One-quarter of children do not complete their primary school education, and fewer than one in three will graduate from upper secondary school. 27 ChildFund Australia’s senior education advisor Richard Geeves says: “I first went to Myanmar toward the end of that long period of isolation from the rest of the world. Schools were terribly under-resourced; teachers badly paid. State schools were charging money, and most people just didn’t have any to spare. Compared with other countries in the region, which had progressed quite well through the 90s and into the first decade of the 21st century, Myanmar was way, way behind – it had a lot of work to do.” The NESP28 cites findings that the prospects for middle school entry appear to be weakest for disadvantaged groups, such as students from remote, rural areas, who are also overwhelmingly the poorest. The report states: “These students are also likely to have weaker academic preparedness, increasing their risk of dropping out if they do enter secondary education.” For poor children from ethnic minorities, lessons in state schools are conducted in a language that they don’t speak at home. It’s the classic cycle of disadvantage, and pushes many out of the classroom and into work. There is widespread acceptance of working children in Myanmar; 18% of children aged 10-14 years are participating in the labour market. 29 The country also lacks an effective child protection system, putting millions of children at risk of trafficking and other forms of abuse and exploitation. An International Labour Organization (ILO) survey30 found 1.278m children aged 5-17 years working, about half of them in areas deemed to be hazardous. In a stark illustration of the strong urban/rural divide across the country, almost 89% of working children reside in rural areas. Rural children are also more vulnerable to hazardous work than their urban counterparts, and work longer hours. These children are typically working a 52-hour week – girls often longer than boys. Many work beyond this – as much as 10 hour days, six days a week.

Rural families often migrate to larger town centres in search of employment, and end up living in temporary, illegal shanty towns

Most children who drop out of school do so to earn money to support their family or themselves. Some sell basic food, snacks and odds and ends, others work in food preparation and packing, or in tea shops and restaurants. Where jobs are few, children may be found plucking their way through rubbish looking for plastic and other materials they can exchange for cash. Those in formal employment work mainly in agriculture, forestry, fishing, manufacturing trades, mining and brick making. Child labour is defined by the ILO as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and dignity, and is harmful to their physical and mental development. The worst forms of child labour include all forms of slavery, such as the trafficking of children and debt bondage; forced labour, including in armed conflicts; prostitution or pornography; and any work which is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. Hazardous work is when a child’s physical, psychological or moral wellbeing is put at risk, either because the work takes place in a dangerous environment, such as underground or in confined spaces, or because of the nature of the work itself, such as prostitution. Applying that criteria, over 1.1 million children in Myanmar31 are engaged in child labour,

and half of them (616,815) are doing hazardous work. The data shows that the poorer the household, the more likely the work will be hazardous. Poverty gives rise to other vulnerabilities for children. There are concerns that an increasing number of boys and girls in Myanmar, especially those from rural areas, are victims of sex trafficking to larger cities or across borders.32 Access to quality education is the most constructive, longterm alternative to child labour. School attendance not only opens new doors for children, but goes a long way towards reducing the worst forms of child labour. In 2011-12, the Myanmar Government introduced a stipend program targeting the poorest students. By 2014-15 the program had reached around 16,000 students in 330 townships, and will be extended to at least 100,000 students by 2017-18. The expanded program will focus on students in grades 5-11, those most at risk of dropping out.33 The Australian Government, in partnership with the World Bank, also funds a school grants program providing funding to over 47,000 schools, with stipends to help over 158,000 disadvantaged children stay in school.

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Children with disability “Children with disability in Myanmar are less likely to access services in health or education; rarely have their voices heard in society; and face daily discrimination as objects of pity.” — Bertrand Bainvel, UNICEF Myanmar Representative The most vulnerable cohort of disadvantaged children – those with disability – still have woefully inadequate support and recognition in Myanmar, though their numbers are high.

Girls in Myanmar The ILO survey found that 7.7% of the population aged five years and over have one or more types of disability. While recent government reforms have included new laws that give some recognition and priority to children with disability, they fall short of mandating their rights. A recent analysis published by UNICEF34 revealed that children with disability in Myanmar are less likely to access services in health or education. It also highlights how inadequate policies and legislation contribute to the challenges these children face.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the Burmese saying 'a fine woman remains silent and doesn’t talk much'. A woman will have to speak up if she has things to say. If I were to become a leader of a group one day, and I don’t speak up for the betterment of my team, I think the group will soon be left behind." — A 15-year-old girl from a village outside Mandalay and graduate of Girl Determined’s Circles program What is life like for a girl growing up in Myanmar? As with so many other social, cultural and political issues in Myanmar, it’s complicated. On the one hand a woman – Aung San Suu Kyi – emerged as the galvanising figurehead of the democracy movement, and is today recognised as the leader of the country. On the other, there are enduring cultural, social and religious attitudes which restrict girls’ choices and opportunities, mute their voice, and inhibit them gaining power or financial autonomy. The most vulnerable are also exposed to high risks of sex trafficking and exploitation. In a country of such ethnic diversity, there is no stereotypical story for girls and women. That said, patriarchal norms and values are strong. Men have responsibility for decision-making and household income, and women take care of housework and children. Gender inequalities in society echo through the school system, national policies and teachers, further socialising adolescents into gendered roles, according to a UNICEF investigation.35 The report states: “In broader society, these inequalities are keeping women out of leadership roles, as both girls and boys are trained not to consider this an option for girls.” Education experts Martin Hayden and Richard Martin of Southern Cross University add: “Traditional gender inequity, with boys succeeding at the expense of girls, is not immediately evident in Myanmar. Girls are, in fact, over-represented among higher education students. Of special note is the extent to which the teaching profession is predominantly (86%) female.”36 However, Hayden and Martin suspect this is because teaching is regarded as a female occupation, and because it pays so poorly it has little allure as a job for men.

In Myanmar, the majority of the teaching profession (86%) is female

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Statistics show girls and boys are equally likely to complete their secondary education, but girls will matriculate with better results and proceed to higher education. In 2012, for example, 60.1% of all higher education students were female.37 But while girls generally do better in the classroom, conformity to societal expectations means many restrict their personal ambitions and behaviours through fear of judgement. This may explain why women are significantly underrepresented in the formal labour market. The UNICEF Census analysis38 found huge differences between the employment levels of males and females throughout their working life. For example, as men and women entered their working peak years (aged 30-34), the employment to population ratios for males and females were about 90% and 50% respectively. Women are central to the informal economy, however, and unpaid female labour is a big concern. “Girls rights, in general, are not thought of as a serious issue in the country,” says Brooke Zobrist, co-founder of Girl Determined, a leadership project supported by ChildFund Australia which focuses on assisting girls aged 12-17. “While the situation for girls and young women may not be extreme in the manner of early child marriage or gross mutilation, girls suffer from gnawing and ongoing devaluation and the normalisation of very narrow gender role definitions.“ Zobrist adds: “This is particularly true at puberty when girls face increasing pressure to abide by gendered expectations - not to be heard, to be incredibly helpful at home, to dress a certain way.“

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Retention: the need for quality learning “People definitely question the value of education at the moment, and it’s not that the government isn’t doing anything about it. I think there is a genuine concern for making education more relevant, but it is going to take a long time. Like growing democracy, it won’t happen overnight.” — Karl Dorning, strategic director, Monastic Education Development Group

Five years ago, one of the main obstacles to accessing education in Myanmar was the lack of infrastructure. Today, more buildings and classrooms are still needed, but it has become increasingly evident that the quality of education provided must also be urgently addressed. The numbers of boys and girls who enrol in school is almost equal, though many enrol late, particularly boys. However, the standard of education available is an issue at all levels, with a heavy reliance on rote memorisation, and low levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy skills.39 Unstimulating classes, bleak prospects, and the bottom-line needs of poor families who must send young members of the household out to work, drive the extremely high drop-out rates. The Myanmar Government’s NESP notes: “There are multiple and complex and often context-specific reasons for children dropping out of school at primary and secondary levels, of which poverty, language difficulties, disability and ‘lack of interest’ are the most common.” 40

As a result, the value of education for many families is slowly being eroded. “A lot of parents don’t see education as a priority because the kids are bored, and they are going to be more productive if they are out working and not in school,” says Dorning. Another disincentive to sticking with school is that for many students, the traditional primary school classroom is an unfriendly, punishing environment. A study in 2007 revealed widespread use of corporal punishment to maintain discipline.44 Some 62% of teachers told students they would be beaten if they did not perform well in a test, and 82% of students reported being beaten. As UNICEF Myanmar’s education specialist Jane Davies states: “If you are advocating for children to stay in school, then it is important that they have a quality experience when they get there.” By grade 10, only 23% of students who started primary school remain enrolled. By the final year of secondary school, only 10% of students who commenced primary

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school 11 years earlier are still at school.45 Having made it that far, students face what for many is an insurmountable hurdle in rigid final examinations. Matriculation rates have remained low – around 35% in 2010.46 In Myanmar, an economy still in its infancy means that qualifications do not automatically lead to better jobs and bigger salaries. According to the International Organisation for Migration47, Myanmar has grown to be the largest migration source country in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), with an estimated 4.25 million Myanmar nationals living abroad. One of the main drivers of migration is the availability of higher wages in neighbouring countries. Dorning recounts a story of a family from Mon state, where many children and teens cross the border to work in Thailand. This family sold their farm to raise the money to pay for tuition and other fees to educate their children. One child became a doctor, another a lawyer. “But they couldn’t get jobs. Meanwhile the kids who left school and went to Thailand were building houses and a life.”

This lack of interest can be attributed to poor student engagement. The picture that emerges from the expert literature and educators interviewed for this report is of classrooms where students are inattentive and indifferent to their learning because their teachers lack the skills, time and resources to excite them, and are burdened by an unwieldy curriculum. Academics Hayden and Martin write: “Myanmar’s education system is in a very weakened state. The physical condition and human resource capacity of the system is poor by any standard and teachers, whether in schools, colleges or universities, have few opportunities and little incentive for professional development.” 41 While teacher salaries were drastically increased in 2010, the average primary school teacher only earns around US$58 per month, and will struggle to cover the expenses of a family. As such, many teachers are compelled to take on additional work, or offer private tuition.42 Working long hours and multiple jobs can have a negative impact on their ability to focus on the needs of their students. Traditional, rote-learning methods continue to be widespread in state schools, and new, child-friendly educational resources in short supply. Even where good teachers are available, overcrowding, multi-age classes, and rundown facilities undermine their effectiveness. According to the NESP 43: “Many children learn very little in school, with children in grade 3 still struggling with reading comprehension and basic mathematical skills.” And of those students who master the formula for success – retaining and regurgitating facts when they sit their all-important exams – only a tiny proportion will successfully matriculate and go on to tertiary study.

A mother applies thanaka to her son before school; a bark paste which softens and protects the skin

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A national strategy for education reform

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Ministry of Education, strategic total spending, million MMK (2009—10 to 2015—16 - Fiscal Years)

1,600,000

“It’s a society that is really hungry for education and hungry for schooling - the families and the children themselves. When you are out and about in Yangon you see a very young society – there are kids everywhere. So one of the great benefits of what has happened in Myanmar politically during the past few years is that so many more children can participate in the education system.”

When UNICEF's Jane Davies began working in Myanmar in 2012, the Ministry of Education had just embarked on the comprehensive review now powering a stream of reforms. “It’s been a very intense phase and, with the finalisation of the strategic plan for the next five years, it’s a very exciting time. Now there is a common policy framework to guide all investment in education.” The energy powering the reform agenda has been impressive, Davies says. Many educators, after years of frustration at the lack of investment and resources, are seizing the opportunity to rebuild a quality system. “It’s very pleasing to see a recognition that not only is education key for development of the country, it is also an enabler of other key developments including the peace process,” she adds. “That’s not to say it has been a straight line, or a smooth process. There have been lots of twists and turns.”

1,400,000 Total capital spending

Total recurrent spending

1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000

— Richard Geeves, senior education advisor, ChildFund Australia

0 2009-10 PA

2010-11 PA

2011-12 PA

2012-13 PA

2013-14 PA

2014-15 PA

2015-16 BE

Graph: Total spend on education 2009-16, Myanmar Ministry of Education.

With funding from overseas donors, some monastic schools are now addressing computer literacy

In a landscape of intense political change and ethnic tensions, education can be powerfully contentious. Discrimination against minorities remains a problem within and across the system. Experts interviewed for this report say that the reform process does appear to be trying to tackle questions of language and culture, and is progressing in a positive way. That said, there are still many ethnic groups and community schools that don’t yet trust the government enough to engage.

“There are still a lot of political sensitivities around the use of ethnic languages in education, and it is tied up with the peace process,” says Davies. “But it is an important issue for the large numbers of children outside the Bamar majority ethnic group who experience disadvantage in their learning when it is conducted in the national language – Burmese, or Myanmar language – but not the language they speak at home.” Meanwhile changes are underway to chip away at issues underlying teacher quality, teacher numbers, curriculum, corruption, infrastructure and resources: • To get more teachers into primary schools, the Ministry of Education has appointed 72,000 new “daily wage” teachers over the last three years. These are graduates but not trained teachers. They receive one month of pre-service training and are deployed into classrooms. • In 2015 requirements for high school teachers were relaxed to get more teachers into classrooms. Graduates were given teacher training incentives and deployed into schools on three-year contracts.48

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The National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) 2016-21

Management, capacity development & quality assurance Education managers at all levels apply evidence-based decision making and demand accountability for improved teaching and learning in schools and educational institutions

The government's new education strategy prioritises early childhood education

• Teacher promotion systems have been restructured. Previously, teachers would begin their careers instructing the youngest grades, then later be promoted into the middle and high school levels. This was the only way to move up the pay scale, but drained talent and experience out of primary classrooms. In 2016, the government announced that well-performing primary teachers could be promoted as experts within the primary system.49

All children get a head start on their learning pathway through accessing quality preschool and kindergarten education

Basic education – access, quality & inclusion All children can access, progress through and successfully complete quality basic education

Higher Education

Basic education curriculum

Students have equitable access to a world-class higher education system, leading to better opportunities for employment and significant contributions to a knowledge-based economy

• New teacher education colleges have opened, and the Ministry of Education has funded stipends to support trainees. Teacher degree courses have been extended to five years.

Preschool & Kindergarten Education

• Only around one-fifth of eligible children attend preschool, with children in rural areas most likely to miss out. Funding for preschool education will be almost twice the size as that allocated to higher education over the next five years. • Under the new framework (the NESP), basic education will be expanded from 11 to 13 years.

NESP goal

Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) More learners can access TVET and graduate from quality-assured and labour market-responsive TVET programmes under a more effective management system

Improved teaching and learning, vocational education and training, research and innovation leading to measurable improvements in student achievement in all schools and educational institutions

Alternative Education Learners can access and graduate from quality-assured, certified and nationally credentialed alternative education programmes to achieve their learning and career aspirations

Teacher education & management Teachers support, develop and apply interactive classroom teaching and learning benefiting all students

Diagram: The goal of the NESP and its nine Transformational Shifts

All school children develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and competencies that are relevant to their lives and to the socio-economic development needs of 21st century Myanmar

Student assessment & examinations Teachers and education managers implement a quality assessment system to improve student learning achievement

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Unlocking the potential of Myanmar’s youth “Accessible and quality education is essential for our children to shape and grow their ideas, perceptions, behaviours and values. Education is the foundation for Myanmar’s sustainable social and economic development. Education will play a key role in securing the lasting peace and security of the nation.” — Myanmar National Education Strategic Plan, 2016-2021

School attendance in Myanmar falls sharply from age 10, with boys more likely to drop out and begin work

The launch, after four years of painstaking work, of the NESP in February 2017 was a game changing moment. It is estimated that it will cost between K14.475 trillion (US$10.6 billion) and K15.3 trillion (US$11.27 billion) to implement its objective over the next five years. Recent analysis by international economists50 singles out rebuilding education as essential to the fortunes of the fledgling democracy: “Because in part of the poor quality of education, much of the workforce remains largely unskilled.” While applauding the government on its ambitions for reforming education, economists stressed that “stepped up investments in education and vocational training is needed to meet the demands of rapid growth and economic transformation”.

As Jane Davies from UNICEF notes, this plan is critical because it not only guides educators and policy makers within the country, it also articulates the nation’s own defined priorities to donor nations, international non-government organisations (INGOs) and multilateral organisations wanting to help rebuild the system. Beyond that, it also opens the door for Myanmar to join the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) which already supports education in 65 developing nations. Myanmar is one of the few remaining eligible countries outside that framework. The GPE provides funding to developing countries to improve their education systems, but it is only available if certain criteria are met – one of these is to have a credible education sector plan.

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“The Ministry of Education is hoping this year to get a grant to implement the strategic plan,” Davies says. “It is not only about the funding. It is the idea of being part of that partnership – it brings you into a global body, with opportunities to get together with other countries to work on education. And it is a badge of credibility, to have made these global education goals.” In March 2017, the Australian Government announced it would extend its assistance to children in Myanmar, helping them to attend and stay in school.51 It has committed an additional $71.5 million over four years (2017-2020) “to assist Myanmar address barriers that prevent children from getting the education opportunities they deserve”.

Monastic schools provide accommodation for children from remote villages during term time

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Buddhist monasteries have cultivated an engrained culture of learning and reading in Myanmar

For outside agencies wanting to contribute to the education effort, such a clearly articulated vision minimises the risks of donors tripping over each other, or imposing agendas that don’t fit national priorities. According to Richard Moore, a strategic plan will, he hopes, help outsiders avoid some of the usual pitfalls and deliver the best results their money can buy: “Coordination is an enormous issue and problem. Everybody wants to run their own race, fly their own flag, and be able to claim some unique achievements, which causes them to operate too independently and you get a lot of drawbacks.” Another mistake Moore has seen is the tendency of wellintentioned outsiders to overlook the capacity of local people. “Whatever arrangements are put in place, they must empower local people. That includes government authorities, but also by bringing civil society’s voice to the table.”

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Many children help in the family business before and after school hours

“The people of Myanmar are still very appreciative of assistance,” Moore explains. “They engage with it very intensely – the real onus on us is not to misuse that. Many partners go in with the best of intentions, but where they often struggle is in slowing down enough in a low capacity environment to ensure that they don’t disenfranchise local people. For me that is the biggest test, how can we slow down and let local people stay in the lead.” The resourcefulness of local networks was powerfully displayed in the aftermath of 2008’s Cyclone Nargis. Development experts often demarcate the story of modern Myanmar into 'before' or 'after' Nargis. Before, only a handful of INGOs and donors had any foothold in Myanmar. Despite the scale of Nargis’ devastation, the initial response of the military government was to refuse to allow foreign disaster relief workers and supplies into the delta.52 But Burmese civil society ultimately turned this around. They began raising money and delivering aid themselves, enlisting assistance along the way from outsiders, and founding some of the relationships that today underwrite an expanding effort to improve education and health.

There are still relatively few INGOs in Myanmar, although the numbers grew significantly in response to Cyclone Nargis and the political and economic opening of the country since 2010. Those that have established themselves, such as ChildFund Australia, are often working in partnership with local civil society groups, rather than pursuing the more traditional direct implementation model.

Dorning notes, however, that the challenge for MEDG and the monastic system is that "a lot of the funding that comes in is often project-based”. That is, tied to a particular aspect of development, such as gender or sanitation. While that can be useful, Dorning adds: “It can also distort the way we would like to do things. You might have to manipulate the program to fit the donor, and it’s not always an exact fit.”

The potential of these partnerships can be seen in the engagement of donors with the monastic school system via the Monastic Education Development Group (MEDG) and the Myanmar Education Consortium (MEC), the latter a multi-donor program funded by the Australian, British and Danish governments and managed by Save the Children.

Because of its long isolation, Myanmar is something of a clean slate for development players – a chance not to make the mistakes of history, says Moore. He explains. “I hope we can find the vision to say OK, we know what the history of aid looks like in this sort of environment, and it typically looks pretty messy. I want Australia to be a real advocate for better policy, and for being willing and able to invest strongly in coordination.

The monastic education system ticks a lot of boxes for donors. ChildFund Myanmar country director Win May Htway says: “We decided to work with MEDG because our primary objective is to support the most vulnerable children. Monastic schools are widespread throughout the country, which means they reach some of the most marginalised and remote populations.” The MEDG is also accessible through a central management structure, isn’t overly bureaucratic, and has the autonomy to be adaptable and innovative.

“We have to be modest and humble and learn on the job, work in partnerships where we might not be in the lead, not always in the driver’s seat. Sometimes the most useful thing to do is to be willing to take the back seat.”

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SCHOOL TEACHER

Daw Kyi

Because of his parent's financial situation, sometimes the child does not come to school.

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FACTORY WORKER Rainy days are a particular challenge for primary school teacher Daw Kyi. Her classroom is not really a room at all – it’s a roof to shelter under, with no walls, so when it rains it is so noisy and wet that it can be impossible to teach.

Ma Nwe

Ma Nwe was just nine years old, and had completed less than four years of primary education, when she left school to help her mother at home and look after her younger sisters.

Even on dry days there are so many distractions she must contend with to keep the interest of her grade 3 pupils. For instance, pilgrims come and go from the nearby pagoda. “The children look out at the things going on, and it is difficult for them to focus.”

At age 13, her father died which meant she was forced into work. Ma Nwe started a job in a factory. Seven days a week, she gets up at 6am. After boiling some rice for the family breakfast, she does some cleaning around the house, and is then on her way to work by 7am. She has just one day of rest a month – on a full moon day – when the factory closes.

Because the school has so few rooms, grades 3 and 4 are both squeezed under the same roof with their respective teachers. Daw Kyi and the grade 4 teacher try to take turns instructing their respective classes, so as not to shout over one another.

The factory she works for manufactures drinking flasks, and Ma Nwe's job is to check the quality of the flasks. She earns K80,000 (about US$55) a month and gives the whole amount to her mother. Her boss also gives her a tip of another K10,000, which she keeps for her pocket money.

Daw Kyi has been teaching for eight years. She’s committed, even evangelical about her work and its importance to individual students and the prospects of the country. She’s not in it for the money – she earns less than $US50 a month (K70,000). But she is proud to see the second graders who were the first class she taught eight years ago – those of them who remain at school – now graduated into grade 10. “When I see this, my joy is unlimited.”

Today, she’s a shy 17-year-old. She can read and write, she says, but sees no prospects for herself beyond seven days a week at the factory. When she has any time to herself she likes to sew and, if she had the choice, she would like to do that for a living.

However, she’s distressed when she sees the lost potential as individual students vanish out of the classroom too early. Daw Kyi has seen children leave school after just grade 1 or 2. She tries to keep them coming until at least grade 4 or 5, so that if they end up as street vendors they can at least calculate well enough to survive. She tells the story of a boy, Win, who is in her present class. He is smart, she says: "But because of his parents’ financial situation, sometimes the child does not come to school. We asked him what he does and he said he peels onions. Because of that, Win comes to school in the morning but not the afternoon.” Eventually, city life proved too expensive, and the boy and his family are now making plans to move back to their rural village.

She says: “When I had to leave school, I was still young and I didn’t feel much. But now, when I see others going to school, I feel so sorry.”

When I had to leave school, I was still young and I didn’t feel much. But now, when I saw others going to school, I feel so sorry.

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References 1 The government of Burma officially changed the name of the country to Myanmar in 1989. However, the Australian Government only began to use the new name in 2012. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/australia-andburmamyanmar-name-debate

The shared history of Britain and Burma: www.telegraph.co.uk/ comment/3558192/The-shared-history-of-Britain-and-Burma.html

Myanmar-Education for All Review 2015, UNESCO. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0022/002297/229723E.pdf

27

28 National Education Strategic Plan 2016-21: http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/ sites/planipolis/files/ressources/myanmar_nesp-english.pdf

2

Ibid.

3

29 UNICEF Integrated household living conditions survey in Myanmar 2009-2010: www.mm.undp.org/content/dam/myanmar/docs/FA1MMRPovertyProfile_Eng. pdf

Myanmar labour force, child labour and school to work transition survey 2015: www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-yangon/ documents/publication/wcms_516117.pdf

4

The river of lost footsteps - a personal history of Burma, Thant Myint-U, Faber and Faber 2006. www.faber.co.uk/9780571217595-the-river-of-lost-footsteps. html

30

Myanmar’s hidden war: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/11/asia/myanmar-shanrebels-civil-war/

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5

6

Was Burma’s 1988 uprising worth it? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7543347.stm

7

Spring in Myanmar: https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/spring-in-myanmar/

United Nations Human Development Reports - country profile Myanmar: http:// hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/MMR# 8

Myanmar moves up to medium ranking on HDI: www.mmtimes.com/index.php/ national-news/25445-myanmar-moves-up-to-medium-ranking-on-hdi.html

9

Changes to Myanmar’s education sector needed: www.oxfordbusinessgroup. com/overview/learning-curve-changes-are-needed-revitalisecountry%E2%80%99s-schools

10

Evolving education in Myanmar – the interplay of state, business and the community (M Lall); Dictatorship, Disorder and Decline in Myanmar in Myanmar, Monique Skidmore and Trevor Wilson, ANU Press 2008. http://press.anu.edu.au/ publications/dictatorship-disorder-and-decline-myanmar 11

Myanmar-Education for All Review 2015, UNESCO. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0022/002297/229723E.pdf

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United Nations Human Development Report 2016: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/ default/files/2016_human_development_report.pdf

13

Myanmar - Demographic & Health Survey 2015-2016: http://microdata. worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/2797

14

The Census and Gender Issues, Presentation by Dr A. Bonnerjee, Consultant SPCRM. UNICEF, August 2015.

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16 One in five children in Myanmar go to work instead of doing to school, new census report reveals: http://myanmar.unfpa.org/news/one-fivechildren-myanmar-go-work-instead-going-school-new-census-reportreveals?page=0%2C10

I want to help my own people - state control and civil society in Burma after Cyclone Nargis: www.hrw.org/report/2010/04/28/i-want-help-my-own-people/ state-control-and-civil-society-burma-after-cyclone

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Major changes to Myanmar’s education sector under way: www. oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/back-basics-major-changes-educationsector-are-under-way 18

Reforming Myanmar - the big task to develop human capital, Arunajeet Kaur, 2016. www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/nts/co16240-reforming-myanmar-thebig-task-to-develop-human-capital/#

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National Education Strategic Plan 2016-21: http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/ sites/planipolis/files/ressources/myanmar_nesp-english.pdf

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School and conflict - ethnic education and mother tongue-based teaching in Myanmar: http://asiafoundation.org/publication/schooling-and-conflict-ethniceducation-and-mother-tongue-based-teaching-in-myanmar/ 21

Conflicts, communal violence and IDPS: www.mmpeacemonitor.org/conflict/ conflict-overview

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Myanmar 2015-16 Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings: http:// dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/SR235/SR235.pdf

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24 Teachers’ voice- what education forms does Myanmar need? http://marielall. com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Myanmar-teachers-voice-report-FINAL.pdf


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26 Evolving education in Myanmar – the interplay of state, business and the community (M Lall); Dictatorship, Disorder and Decline in Myanmar in Myanmar, Monique Skidmore and Trevor Wilson, ANU Press 2008. http://press.anu.edu.au/ publications/dictatorship-disorder-and-decline-myanmar

Ibid.

United Nations Action for Cooperation against Trafficking in Persons Myanmar: http://un-act.org/countries/myanmar/

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33

34 The first analysis on children with disabilities launched in Myanmar: www. unicef.org/myanmar/media_25786.html 35 Bottleneck analysis – gender dynamics affecting participation in secondary school education in Myanmar and implications for social cohesion, UNICEF 2016: www.unicef.org/myanmar/UNICEF_Myanmar_Gender_Bottleneck_Analysis_ Final_Report_January_2017.pdf

Recovery of the education system in Myanmar, Journal of International and Comparative Education, Martin Hayden, Richard Martin, Southern Cross University 2013: http://crice.um.edu.my/downloads/1Hayden&Martin.pdf

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37

The Census and Gender Issues, Presentation by Dr A. Bonnerjee, Consultant SPCRM. UNICEF, August 2015.

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Thematic Analysis 2011 – Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Myanmar, United Nations Country Team in Myanmar: www.undp.org/content/ dam/undp/library/MDG/english/MDG%20Country%20Reports/Myanmar/ Thematic-Analysis-2011-for-Myanmar.pdf

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Editor: Larissa Tuohy


Designer: Spade & Arrow


Photography: Tom Greenwood, Jocelyn Pederick, and ChildFund staff

UNICEF Situational Analysis of Children in Myanmar, 2012: www.unicef.org/ eapro/Myanmar_Situation_Analysis.pdf

ABN: 79 002 885 761


Email: [email protected]

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44 UNICEF Situational Analysis of Children in Myanmar, 2012: www.unicef.org/ eapro/Myanmar_Situation_Analysis.pdf

www.childfund.org.au

45 Recovery of the education system in Myanmar, Journal of International and Comparative Education, Martin Hayden, Richard Martin, Southern Cross University 2013: http://crice.um.edu.my/downloads/1Hayden&Martin.pdf 46 Teachers’ voice- what education forms does Myanmar need? http://marielall. com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Myanmar-teachers-voice-report-FINAL.pdf 47 Global migration flows – Myanmar: International Organisation for Migration: www.iom.int/countries/myanmar

Myanmar

Changes to Myanmar’s education sector needed: https://www. oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/learning-curve-changes-are-neededrevitalise-country%E2%80%99s-schools 48

49 Basic edu teacher promotions, salaries to be upgraded: http://www.mmtimes. com/index.php/national-news/yangon/22763-basic-edu-teacher-promotionssalaries-to-be-upgraded.html

Myanmar – building economic foundations, Ronald Findlay, Cyn-Young Park, Jean-Pierre Verbiest, ANU 2016: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ apel.12133/full

50

Supporting education in Myanmar: http://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/ Pages/2017/jb_mr_170315.aspx

51

ChildFund Australia

ChildFund Myanmar

Address: Level 8, 162 Goulburn Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia

Address: Room 201, Tower A (ShweLaYaung Tower) Shwe Hin Thar Condo, Corner of Pyay Road and Shwe Hin Thar Street, Hlaing Township, Yangon, Myanmar

Phone: 1800 023 600

Phone: : + 95 (01) 507 401

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childfund.org.au